Method of making valve bodies



y 1934- J. D. BALDWIN. JR 1,956,554

' METHOD OF MAKING VALVE Bobws I Filed April 27, 1932 Smaentor 5/ fl/m/ 0. 5440140. /7e.

attorney cut passages leading therethrough, each con- Shown in 2 is Seve ed, the blank being shown Patented May 1, 193 4 I r I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

METHOD OF MAKING VALVE BODIES John D. Baldwin, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Weatherhead Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 27, 1932, Serial No. 607,787

9 Claims. (01. 29157.1)

This invention relates to a valve and to a sessed of all the qualities of a forging or casting method of making same. More particularly this as regards to strength, durability and efficiency. invention relates to a method of making a dual Other objects and advantageous features of the valve structure from bar stock, invention will be noted in the following detailed 5 I can illustrate and describe my invention withdescription and accompanying drawing, wherein 60 in the realm of a particular and successful emlike characters of reference designate correbodiment and practice thereof in its application sponding parts and wherein:- to a dual valve used advantageously in a refrig- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bar of exeration system. Such a valve has two independtruded and drawn stock from which the blank trolled by a separate closure member, and both after the machining peration of forming an expassages extending side by side through a omtension, circular in cross section, extending at man branchwhich is adapted to be threaded into an ob angle to the main y;

or otherwise, put in communication with a single Figure 2 is a view in Pe spective of the blank 15 l; h vessel t which I have t illustrated in Fig. 1, after certain operations have geously used my valve has been the receiver for been performed eO a mechanical refrigerator, which those skilled in igures 3, 5 and 6 a V eWS in elevation and t n; k e t i b th liquid and In in section illustrating various steps in the making using my valve one of its passages communicates 0f the Valve body;

with the liquid in the lower part of the receiver Figure 7 is asectional view illustrating the valve through a tube brazed into the passage and they and p t g parts assembled therewith; other passage is in open communication with the and upper or gaseous part of the vessel or receiver. Fi ure 8 is a View in section on line 88 of In designing my valve it was my desire to in- 25 corporate in a compact valve body valve stems In carrying Out the bj s of y invention d g and closure members, each readily accessible, and referring to the w it Will be Seen that y independently operable to control the flow of v l v lv mpris s a p i f ylindr p fluid into and out of the said vessel or receiver. tions merging n a common y h vin a let- My effort was also directed to provide in my valve eral branch ating adjacent to but ofiset 30 means for joining the separate passages with from One Of the cylindrical p fi I have separate tubes or conduits communicating with evolved this design of valve having in mind both other elements in the system. the compactness of the valve and the method by Thus it is among the objects of my invention which it was to be made. Thus w t s d s to provide a compact and inexpensive dual valve. I am able t0 form bar Stock y c means as 35 Another object of my invention is to provide a extruding and drawing or rolling metals, such for method for making such a valve. Another object example, as brass having the Shape i ustrated i is to arrange the passages, seats, stems and cone- 1, which Comprises a P Of y d ca nections in the most compact yet accessible rela- Partially Cylindrical, portions merging into a d ti 50 th t i i amount of metal need oppositely ofiset from a rectangular portion. It

40 be em l d, a i i waste t l and a will further be seen that the axes of the cylindrima hin rk required in t Produccal portions are respectively above and below thetion of my valve, consistent with ample strength, central plane of the bar and are respectively,disdurability, accessibility, good appearance and posed near and far from the rectangular portion safety. of the bar. It will also be seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 8 1 45 Another object of this invention contemplates that the axes of the cylindrical portions are ina method of producing valve bodi fr exclined with relation to the lateral median plane truded and drawn or rolled bar stock wherein 0 the b y of he bar. the contour of the stock and its design is such Having formed the bar stock in the shape as to facilitate the completion of the unit with a shown in Fig. 1, as the first step of my process,

50 minimum of steps in an economical fashion and I next sever the bar in aplane normal to its axis one that is adapted to mass production methods. into lengths equal to the height of the valve Still another object of this invention is to combody, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4.- The blank havbine a valve body fashioned from extruded or ing been so severed, I remove part of the rectandrawn bar stock that may be produced at a lesser gular portion substantially down to a plane tan- 55 cost than forgings or castings; yet will be posgent to the centrally located cylindrical portion,

leaving normal to such plane a lateral branch which is externally provided with pipe threads for attachment into the vessel, the flow to and from which is controlled by my valve. In this stage, at the end of the second step of my process, the valve has the appearance shown in Fig. 2.

There remains in producing the finished exterior of the valve, the step of turning away enough stock adjacent the ends of the cylindrical portion to permit of the external threading of these portions for reception of cap nuts 29, see Fig. 7, which enclose the exposed ends of the valve stems and seal these portions of the valve against any chance of leakage along the valve stems. With the completion of the external threading of these ends of the cylindrical portions, shown at the top in Fig. 3 and bottom in Fig. 4, the last step of my process, as to exterior formation, has been taken and the valve body has thereupon assumed its finished exterior appearance.

Those skilled in the art will understand that it isnot mandatory nor necessarily expedient to perform the three foregoing steps in the order named, without interrupting the sequence of steps by other operations such as drilling, boring or tapping on the inside of the valve body. I have discussed the three preceding steps to illustrate the correlation of my shape of the finished prodnot to show how vitally and effectively dependent is the shaping of the rod or bar stock related to the contour of the finished product. It is by this cooperative relationship that I save material, time and effort as well as provide a compact and novel finished product as will more fully appear in discussing the subsequent steps of my process and the structure of the finished valve.

Passing now from the formation of the exterior of the valve, which now comprises parallel cylindrical portions 2 and 3 with their axes spaced apart and lying in aplane inclined to the axis of the branch 5, to the interior of the valve, I form parallel axial passages 15, drilled, bored, counter-bored and tapped as shown in the several figures, particularly Fig. 3. The passages being preferably exactly alike, include at 1'7 squared shoulders forming seats for the two valves; at 16 internally threaded walls for engaging the threads 14 on the valve stem (see Fig. 7) and in the upper portions of the passages as viewed in Fig. 3, enlarged smooth wall portions disposed inwardly of internally threaded portions 13 for receiving and retaining packing rings and glands 2'7 and 28 (see Fig. 7) which cooperate with the valve stems 25 and 26 for the usual purpose. I

The ends of the cylindrical portions 2 and 3 adjacent the packing glands are beveled and sharpened to form a seal with the cap nuts 29 as a further and ultimate protection against leakage.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, and to the upper ends of the cylindrical portions 2 and 3 as shown therein, I form in and at the ends of these passages enlarged internally raised conical seats 19 after the teaching of the Weatherhead Patent No. 1,733,925 which separately constitute the female members of tube couplings and are each adapted to receive the flared end of suchras a copper tube along with the male member of such a coupling and form a fluid tight joint with such tubing.

Thus the cylindrical portions 2 and 3 each include (see Fig. '7) a female member of a tube coupling, alfluid passage 15, a valve seat 17, a valve stem 25 or 26, a packing ring and gland 27 and 28 and sealing brim for the separate cap nuts. It remains to consider now to establish fluid com munication between the separate passages 15 with separate passages extending through the common branch 5 in the most compact manner and one in which there is no sacrifice of utility or efficiency of manufacture.

Referring particularly to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the additional passages 21 and 22 can be separately encompassed within the small confines of the branch 5 by reason of the offset and inclined relation of the axes of the cylindrical parts 2 and 3. The passages 22 and 23 are each drilled normal to the plane of tangency to the inner cylindrical portion and parallel to the axes of the branch 5. Preferably the passage 21 has one wall substantially tangent to the passage 15 in the inner cylindrical portion 3. Preferably also the passage 22, which in this particular embodiment is larger than the passage 21, has its axis substantially tangent to the wall of the passage 15 in the cylindrical passage 2, whereby the end of the passage 2 is extended slightly beyond the center of the passage 15, as shown in Fig. 8. The passages 21 and 22 have been related to each other in size and disposition within'the branch 5 because of the duty imposed upon them in the particular use in which I have employed this valve, that is, the passage 21. was intended to convey liquid, as mentioned above, directly from the bottom of the vessel or receiver into which the branch 5 is threaded in fluid tight connection, while the passage 22 conveys fiuid and gas to the top of such receiver. The passage 21 is counter-bored as at 23 to receive the end of a tube or conduit which may be brazed therein or otherwise sealed and lead therefrom to the bottom of the vessel mentioned above.

Referring also to Figs. 5, 6 and '7, the relationship and points of contact between the passages 15, 21 and 22, can be observed from different points of view, it appearing particularly in Fig. 7

1 that as either of the valve stems 25 or 26 are rotated so as to back the stems away from the seats 1'7 that fluid communication is established in one instance through one of the passages 15 and the passage 21 and in the other instance through the other of the passages 15 and the passage 22. From the foregoing, it will appear that I have provided a novel dual or plural valve by a novel process which is most compact, economical as to material cost and economical of machine work and finished operations in its manufacture. It will also appear thatmy novel design and arrangement of the several valves proper, including the seats and stems disposed as they are, in a plane which is inclined to the axes of the common branch and being severally offset from the axis of the branch and spaced near and far therefrom respectively, provides an arrangement which results in a neat and compact article of manufacture and lends itself to the method of manufacture from extruded and drawn or rolled bar stock and to a highly advantageous correlation between the steps of forming the stock and machining the blanks which are severed from the stock so formed. 7

While the foregoing has constituted a description of the article and method which constitutes a preferred embodiment of myinvention, I appreciate that modifications and changes all within the scope of the major precepts thereof may well occur to those skilled in the art and I do not thus limit myself to the specific embodiment Ill disclosed herein or in any manner other than by 1,

the claims appended hereto, when given that range of equivalents to which the patent issuing hereon may be entitled.

Iclaim:

1. The method of making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock with a plurality of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions olfset from each other and merging into the body .of the bar, severing the bar into' valve lengths, forming longitudinal passageways in each of said cylindrical portionsand forming liquid conduct-- ing means in the body of the stock extending laterally thereof from the exterior to and into fluid communication with said longitudinal passageways.

2. The methodof making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock with a plurality of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions offset from each other and merging into the body of the bar, severing the bar into valve lengths, forming longitudinal passageways in each of said cylindrical portions, and drilling lateral passages through the body of said severed stock each separately communicating with said longitudinal passageways.

3. The method of making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock with a pair of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions ofiset from each other and merging into the body of the bar, severing the bar into valve lengths, forming a projecting branch out of one side ofthe severed stock with its axis inclined to the plane of the axes of said cylindrical portions, forming longitudinal passageways in said cylindrical portions, and drilling lateral passages through said projecting branch communicating with said longitudinal passageways.

4. The method of making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock in such shape to have a pair of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions transversely offset from each other and merging into the 'body of the bar, severing the rod into lengths of size to accommodate the finished valve, removing part of the body of the severed length and forming a projecting branch with its axis intersecting the plane of the axes of said cylindrical portions, forming longitudinal passageways in each of said cylindrical portions, and drilling lateral passages through said projecting branch communicating with the passageways in said cylindrical portions.

5. The method of making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock with a pair of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions laterally and transversely oifset from each other and merging into the bodyof the bar,severing the rod into lengths equal to the height of the finished valve, removing part of the body of the severed length and forming a projecting branch with its axis intersecting the plane of the axes of said cylindrical portions at a point between said axes, forming separate passageways in each 'of said cylindrical portions, and drilling passages through said projecting branch each communicating with one of the passageways in one of said cylindrical portions.

6. The method of making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock to have-a pair of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions oppositely ofiset from and merging into the body of the bar and to have a substantially rectangular portion lying alongside a d oiTset from one of said cylindrical portions, severing the rod into lengths consistent with t e finished valve, re-

moving part of said rectangular portion and forming a projecting branch with its axis intersecting the plane of the axes of said cylindrical portions, forming separate passageways in each of said cylindrical portions, and drilling passages through said projecting branch each separately communicating with one of the passageways in one of said cylindrical portions.

7. The method of making valve bodies which includes forming bar stock with a pair of longitudinally extending cylindrical portions merging into the'body of the bar with their axes defining a plane inclined to the plane of the transverse center of the bar and with the body of the bar having a substantially rectangular portion lying alongside part of one of said cylindrical portions, severing the rod into lengths equal to the height of the finished valve, removing. part of said rectangular portion and forming a projecting branch with its axessubstantially in the plane of transverse center of the bar and intersecting the plane of the axes of said cylindrical portions at an oblique angle thereto, forming separate passageways in each of said cylindrical portions for'receiving valve stems and closure members, and drilling passages through saidprojecting branch parallel to its axis each separately communicating with one of the passageways in one of said cylindrical portions.

8. The method of forming a valve body which comprises shaping metal into bars having a cylindrical portion mainly on one side of the transverse central line' of the bar and a second cylindrical portion mainly on the other side of said center line, said centerline bisecting a rectangular portion lying alongside said first named cylindrical portion and on the side'opposite said second named cylindrical portion, dividing said bar into blanks by severing along lines perpendicular to the axis thereof, drilling a passage in each of said cylindrical portions, forming valve seats in said passages for cooperating with a valve closure means, reducing the ,rectangular portion to circular cross-section, drilling an elongated passage in said last named portion below the transverse centerline of the body at right angles to the passage in the cylindrical portion below ,said centerline and intersecting the passage in'the other of said cylindrical portions.

9. The method of forming a valve body which comprises shaping metal into a bar having a cylindrical portion'mainly on one side of the transverse center line of the bar and a second cylindrical portion mainly on the other side of said centerline, said centerline bisecting a rectangular portion lying alongside said first named cylindrical portion and on the side opposite said second named cylindrical portion, dividing said bar into blanks by severing along line perpendicular to the axis thereof, drilling a passage in each of said cylindrical portions, forming a seat in each of said passages'for receiving one end of a copper tube, forming-valve seats in said passages for cooperating with a valve closure means, red ucing the rectangular portion to circullar cross-section, drilling an elongated passage in said last named portion below the transverse centerline of the body at right angles to the passage in'the cylindricalportion below said centerline and intersecting said passage and drilling a second passage in said portiontand above the transverse centerline and intercepting thep'assage in the other-of said cylindrical portions.

JOHN D. BALDWIN, JR. 

